Time-controller for dampers.



No. 733,530. PATENTED JULY 14, 1903.

E. ZWIGKER.

TIME'GONTROLLER FOR DAMPERS.

APPLIOATION TILED JAN. 2, 1903. H0 MODEL.

In 1/922 tor.-

Uurrnn STATES Patented July 14, 1903.

Erica.

ATENT EDD ZIVICKER, OF CABLE, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,530, dated July 14, 1903.

Application filed January 2, 1903. Serial No. 137,621. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDD ZWICKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cable, county of Mercer, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Damper-Controlling Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The subject of the present invention is an automatic damper controlling device designed to effect the automatic closing of a damper upon the expiration of a predetermined interval of time, provision being made whereby the duration of the interval may be adjustably varied to meet differing, requirements. To such means a fire may be started or enlivened and the damper left opened with the mechanism so conditioned that the automatic closing of the damper at the precalculated period will be assured.

As disclosed herein, the invention contemplates generally a train of spring-actuated gearing so arranged as to coact with an adjustablyset crank, indicator-dial, and pivotal weight that when the predetermined pe riod of time arrives the adjustable crank under the actuation of the gear-train and through its engagement with said weight will overbalance and throw the latter, and thus by suitable connection with the damper close the same. 1

There are other novel features and details connected with my invention which are fully pointed out in the subsequent ext-ended description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation, part broken away, of a section of Stovepipe with my automatic damper-controller mounted thereon, the hand-adjustable crank being shown in a position to trip the weight and operate the damper at the end of a period of five minutes. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the parts disclosed in Fig. 1 with the obvious addition of the damper, the section being taken in the plane of the arbor of the hand-adjustable crank. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts illustrated in the preceding figures. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view of the slip-gearing on the arbor of the adjustable crank, permitting the resetting of the latter without necessitating a .reversal of the gear engagement. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line :0 w

of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the ar-.

row 1.

Externally secured on the stovepipe A, preferably but not necessarily contiguous to the plane of the damper A therein, is a collar B, the free members 13 of which besides being relatively contracted at b and secured thereat by a screw and nut b for aiding in holding the collar rigidly in position are of somewhat extended character and are bent to jointly constitute a horizontal bracketin which is rigidlysecured a rectangularcase O. The top C of the case is preferably connected to the front by upper hinges 0, whereby upon lifting said topv access may be had to such parts as are contained Within the case for inspection and repair. Within the case and-mounted in suitable framing D is a spring-actuated mechanism, including the motor-barrel E, its contained spring E, spring-winding spindle E and the primary gear-wheel E of a train. Extending horizontally through the case 0 is an arbor F, bearing both in the front and rear walls of said case and having its end portions projecting both at the front and rear thereof. Mounted upon this arbor is a hubpinion and gear-wheel F, the hub-pinion being in mesh with the wheel E while the gear- Wheel F, through suit-able intermediate gearing well understood, actuates an escapement, the balance-wheel G of which is provided with peripheral notches adapted to be engaged by a lateral pin g on the lower end of asmalllever G, pivotally mounted in an opening therefor in the case-top and capable; of being moved by hand to lock the gear-train against actuation when desired.

Secured rigidly on the shaft F by a pin is a small collar F which is in bearing contact with the end of the hub-pinion, being normally held so by a sleeve F interposed between the wheel F and the contiguous member of the frame D, to such degree and by its frictional contact exerting such resistance as will normally insure said shaft rotating with said hub-pinion and wheel F in harmony with the rest of the train, but will permit a ICO relative slip between the pinion and wheel when the shaft is rotated under certain conditions, the result being that there will be no reverse movement or interruption in the condition of the gear-train.

The damper-spindle A", which of course diametrically spans the section A of stovepipe, has one of its ends a extended for a short distance both through said section and collar B, thereby aiding to further maintain said collar firmly in position on the pipe-section. The other end of the spindle passes freely through the pipe-section, but extends between and slightly beyond the contracted portions 12 of the collar and carries an eccentric body H of the configuration generally indicated by full and dotted lines, Fig. 1, and which is provided near its curved edge with an extended arc-shaped slot h. Secured on one face of this body, slightly to one side of the axis thereof, is a rod H, which extends radially beyond the curved edge of said body for a considerable distance and carries a weight H Rigidly secured to the rear projecting end of the shaft F is an arm I, adjustably secured in the bifurcation of which is a horizontal pin I, extending within the sloth of the body II.

Attached to the front projecting end of the shaft F is an adjustable crank-handle J, provided with a perforation j, through which the indicating numerals or graduations disposed semicircularly on the front of the case may be individually disclosed. This scale may embody numerals each representing any desired number of minutes.

Assume now that the motor-spring has been wound up and the atttendant has turned the block or body H so that its rod H will rest against a horizontal rod H secured to and projecting from the casing-top. Said rod H will be so maintained by reason of its weight occupying a position slightly beyond a vertical plane intersecting the axis of the block. This operation will obviously have opened the damper. Now, for instance, should it be desired to efiect the automatic closure of the damper within any desired number of minutes the crank-handle is moved by hand until the corresponding numeral of said scale is exposed through its opening, bearing in mind, however, that by reason of the arrangement of slip-gear described the positive turning by the hand resulted in its rotation independent of the hub-pinion and wheel F. Coincident with the movement of the crank-handle the arm I will be moved in a corresponding direction and degree, so that its pin I will occupy such adjusted relation in the slot that when the shaft is reversely revolved by the gear-train it will move the pin I regularly back toward the upper end of the slot, which will be reached at the end of five minutes, whereupon the pin will contact with the end wall of the slot and turn the block H to such extent as will swing the weight H to the other side of its center, whereupon the gravital fall of the same will complete the further turning of the block to an extent sufficient to close the damper. The descent of the rod H and its weight is properly limited by the rod coming in contact with and resting on one of the members B.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the novel damper-controller described is not only comparatively useful, but it is extremely reliable and can be readily applied on any pipe where. desired.

I do not wish to limit myself to the particular construction shown and described, but reserve the right to all modifications and changes as may be fairly within the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a damper-controller, the combination with a spring-actuated train of wheels, of a damper-spindle and a block having an arcshaped slot, attached thereto, a weight attached to said-block and adapted to occupy a position to one side of its center, an arm having a pin extending within said slot, means for adjusting the position of the arm, and means to cause it'to be moved by the train in the slot, turn the block and overbalance its weight.

2. In a damper-controller, the combination with a spring-actuated train of gear, a block having an arc-shaped slot, and a damperspindle to which said block is connected, of a weight also connected to said block, an arm in coactive relation with the gear-train and having a pin extending intosaid slot, a crankhandle located on the same shaft as that on which the arm is located, and operating therewith and a time-scale in coactive relation with respect to said arm.

3. In a damper-controller, the combination with a pipe-section containing a damper and a damper-shaft Where'on said damper is carried revolubly mounted in said pipe-section, of a collar secured thereon and having forwardly-extending members, a casing upheld by said members, a weight connected with said damper-shaft, a spring-actuated geartrain within said casing and time adjustable connections substantially as shown and described cooperating with said train and overbalancing the said weight at a predetermined period of time.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 16th day of December, 1902.

EDD ZWIOKER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE ZWIOKER, WILLIAM ZWICKER.

IIO 

